I think all I really do is work and eat...

AustCham really do put on some awesome events. I've mentioned their epic wine and cheese night in a previous post; well last week I went to one of their other networking events and had a blast. Made some great contacts and I'm already looking forward to their next event... they're doing another wine and cheese night in March. I'm there with bells on!

Work's been crazy again this week so I've been trying to counter the long days by being more active: Swimming in our pool for the first time in ages, tried out a couple of boot camp sessions (which made me ache for days), and of course the usual dragon boating on Saturdays. I'm getting so much better at dragon boating now, they even put me at the front as pacer this week - I'm chuffed to have found something I'm good at and really enjoy doing. 

At the weekend Phil treated me to a slap up meal at an Italian place called Zafferano which is on level 43 of the Ocean Financial Centre. I had a huge octopus tentacle which was delish. We also had a lip-smackingly-good dinner after dragon boating this week. We were craving cheese (I mean, when are we not..) and a mate recommended we try Wine Connection's cheese bar on Robertson quay. Ah.. it's amazing. We had a huge slab of raclette, potatoes, bread, salad, pickles and a huge plate of cold meats.

I'm off to Hong Kong for work tomorrow, and Phil has just left for Melbourne where he'll be working for the next three weeks. I'm sure I've have lots to update on in my next post!

Keep calm and have a martini

Phil was still away in Australia this week which was a bit naff, but I have definitely adjusted a bit more to being alone over here now. I think last week was especially difficult because I was just starting my new job and - as we're still quite new to Singapore - I don't really have any close friends over here yet. Anyway, this week was a lot better. I've been busy in the evenings so the days have whizzed by (also helped by the fact we got Tuesday off work for Singapore's 51st birthday)!

Other than working, working and working some more, the main updates for this week are the three great new bars I've been to...

1. The first is a place called No.5 Emerald Hill opposite Somerset MRT. I went with a Singaporean colleague from work, else I probably wouldn't have ever known it existed. They have amazing martinis - lychee, dragon fruit, mango and loads more, and it's a bit like Raffles Long Bar with the old colonial vibe and the peanut shells all over the floor... but without all the tourists.

2. The next place I went to was Lantern which is a rooftop bar at the top of The Fullerton Bay Hotel. The cocktails and food there were good and it's right on the water so has great views of MBS. It is well-worth a visit, but I'd say some of the other rooftop bars I've been to over here are a tad better.

View from The Fullerton Bay Hotel

3. The final bar worth mentioning this week is the Little Island Brewing Company right over on the East Coast. It's a microbrewery so they have lots of great beers, live music and they serve huge boards of meat. I can't fault the place; everything was delicious and the ambiance was great.. I just wish it was a little closer to where we live! 


Phil got back from Melbourne on Friday so it's been really nice spending the weekend together rather than me hanging out on my own like last week! We popped over to Pasarbella at Turf City on Saturday which is a bit like Borough Market in London; with lots of stalls serving cheese, wine, meat, bread, oils, chutneys etc. We had a really nice cheese board then headed over to Kallang for another dragon boating session with the Gaelics. I feel like I've got the hang of the technique now and can't wait for next week's session. I've also signed up for a couple of their competitions later in the year!

Today Phil and I are catching up on Super Saturday from the Rio Olympics. Mo Farah has just won his third Olynpic gold, and Jess Ennis is just about to run the 800m  - fingers crossed for another medal...!

Sleepless in Singapore

It's been a long, tiring week and for the first time since I've been over here, Singapore has suddenly felt BIG.

As soon as we docked back in Singapore from Bintan, Phil flew to Melbourne for work and I headed back to our empty flat. I then spent a miserable Sunday alone and was back at work on Monday morning. What a comedown.

I must have got quite used to filling my days with swimming, yoga and art as it's been a difficult transition getting back into working life this week. I've not only had to re-engage my brain, but this working lark also means I have to get up before the sun every day. Owh.

The hardest transition has been adjusting to the Singaporean work culture. 50% of my time I'll be working with Brits, Australians, Americans and other Westerners, and the other 50% I'll be working with Singaporeans. There's such a marked difference in the way Singaporeans work, which I'm just getting my head around.

I was out for a couple of dinners with new friends this week which was fun, but I think everything is that bit harder when you don't have close friends or family you can relax around and let off steam with. One thing that did really cheer me up this week was this lovely surprise through my letterbox from my best pal back home.  

With Phil away I've realised how much harder it must be to 'go it alone' somewhere - i.e. live and work in a completely new place without the comfort of a partner, friends or family around. 

Respect to all those expats who have taken the leap as I'm not sure I could do it!

Starting work and joining the Dragons

I started my job at the international school this week. It's been half term so it's been nice settling in without the thousands of kids there. Trying to learn the names and roles of the 400 staff has been a little tough though..

The school have several events per week; whether it be an Open Day, an Induction Day for the new families, hospitality drinks or dinners for alumni or parents etc... I'll be kept busy that's for sure! I've never really thought about or realised how great international schools are until now.  Kids get incredible opportunities in sport, music, arts, languages and academics; in addition to being surrounded by other children and teachers from - in this case - over 60 different counties. The only downside is that it inevitably costs a small fortune to go there!

Aside from the working, Phil and I discovered two new places to eat this week. The first is a brunch place called Park HV.  It's in Holland V and probably better than Hatched as there is way more variety on the menu - truffled Mac&Cheese or Salted Egg Yolk Pork Ribs, Mmmmmm. The second place is Obatignolles wine bar on Club Street. We had a cheese-craving on Friday night so, after drinks with some friends, we headed to Obatignolles to gorge on a big fat cheese board. (Top tip: cheese is so expensive to buy over here so it almost works out cheaper to go to a restaurant to get your fill!)

After the intensity of starting a new job, the weekend could not have come quickly enough. On Saturday, Phil, me and a couple of friends headed over to Kallang and spent a grueling but incredible two hours Dragon Boating with the Gaelic Dragons. (If, like me a week ago, you don't know what Dragon Boating is, click HERE to see a video the Gaelics created.

Dragon Boating is such a social thing to be involved in here as there are so many international teams: French, Spanish, British, German, Australian etc, and everyone comes together for parties, nights out and the odd race every month or so. Water training is every Saturday and land training is mid-week - seems like a good way to get fit and have fun at the same time and can't wait for the next training session already.

3 days until I move to Singapore: a quick update

I have moved out of my flat, said goodbye to most of my friends and family, and started to pack my suitcases. It is now just 3 days until the move to Singapore and it is safe to say I am getting pretty anxious about it all now. Of course I am still really excited about going, but I've been having such a fun time back home the past few weeks that I know it's going to be that much harder to leave.

Anyway, the good news is that I have found myself a job! I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had an interview when I was in Singapore... well I then had a second telephone interview and was offered the job! I start in two weeks and will be delivering all the events for one of the big international schools. I am pretty chuffed to have sorted something so quickly and am really looking forward to working again and having a new challenge.

I'd best get back to packing. I'm currently trying to fit my life into two and a half suitcases...